Author Topic: FEW questions about oil consupmtion, smoke, idle on caddy (Read 6237 times)

bald_mcgrath · « **on:** July 22, 2006, 09:24:17 pm »

I am looking at buying an 81 caddy, it uses about 1 quart of oil every 500 miles-some oil is also leaking out of seals and such-very little, smokes almost all the time even when warm-the smoke is pretty bad, I understand diesels smoke but this is too much, and when gassed hard in neutral the throttle sticks and revs high for 5 seconds. The engine also idles rough when cold, it takes a long time to warm up. Are these any major conerns I should worry about, or would they be easy fixes?
Also, I know these diesels have a hard time to get up to speed, but this trucks struggles to do 60+, is this normal? All sugestions would be helpful, Thanks .

coke · « **Reply #1 on:** July 22, 2006, 10:43:58 pm »

I would say it has bad rings, causing excessive oil consumption, and may have something to do with your throttle sticking. It is also possible the injection pump is faulty or needs to be rebuilt/cleaned/etc. I had a pump that did this same thing on an 86 Jetta. However, I didn't have the smoke because it wasn't burning oil.

burn_your_money · « **Reply #2 on:** July 23, 2006, 08:24:53 am »

What color is the smoke?
It could be as simple as bad injectors, or as serious as rings

Caddys are rare, just do an engine swap if it's serious

bald_mcgrath · « **Reply #3 on:** July 23, 2006, 07:12:57 pm »

At first start the smoke is a darker gray and then turns to more of light white gray, there is also a very faint blue gray tint in smoke. It does drive and run but struggles to do more than 55-60 with no wind. The body although is in great shape, very little rust. HE WANTS 1000 FIRM. How hard and expensive would it be to find a set of rings?

Thanks for the info so far!

burn_your_money · « **Reply #4 on:** July 24, 2006, 01:59:46 pm »

Sounds like the timing might just be out of wack.
Does the smoke smell sweet at all?
It's pretty hard to gauge how much oil is actually being burnt when there is a leak, even a small leak can leak alot of oil, especially at high RPMs

bald_mcgrath · « **Reply #5 on:** July 24, 2006, 06:26:25 pm »

maybe it is the timing because that little knob (not sure what it is or called) that needs to be pulled out when started needs to be left on for like 5 minutes otherwise the engine quits. I will check the smell and color when I go to hopefully pick it up tommorrow.

burn_your_money · « **Reply #6 on:** July 24, 2006, 07:05:52 pm »

Do you have the tools to do the timing? If not it's a pricey job to have a shop do (3-400)
Where is the oil leaking from? Is it a simple fix or does the timing belt need to come off?

bald_mcgrath · « **Reply #7 on:** July 24, 2006, 08:50:32 pm »

No I dont have timing belt tools, would it take the same tools as a 2000 tdi. Because I have a tdi that needs to be changed in 20,000 so I might buy some tools if the they work on both. Not sure whare the oil is leaking from, the engine basically has oil all over it, althought the head and head gasket were replaced 30,000 miles ago. I am not sure if the belt needs to be replaced, i havnt looked at it that close, but I will tommorrow.

burn_your_money · « **Reply #8 on:** July 25, 2006, 05:12:03 pm »

The tools are the same with the exception of the gauge for the pump.

bald_mcgrath · « **Reply #9 on:** July 26, 2006, 08:27:48 pm »

Well I bought the truck. Not sure how long the engine is going to last, It leaks oil, not sure where. THere is a slight oil residue in coolant container. It drives and runs fine when warm, but doesnt go into first very well, and the when the fuel pedal is slammed down the throttle sticks on for a good 3-5 sec. also I almost made it home on my 50 mile trip and the engine started to make a ticking sound, about 3-4 ticks a second, its not a knock. Does anyone know what this tick could be. It stops when the truck is shut off but starts again when I start to move. Tick is more noticable in lower gears. :cry:

jtanguay · « **Reply #10 on:** July 27, 2006, 12:02:18 pm »

Quote from: bald_mcgrath

Well I bought the truck. Not sure how long the engine is going to last, It leaks oil, not sure where. THere is a slight oil residue in coolant container. It drives and runs fine when warm, but doesnt go into first very well, and the when the fuel pedal is slammed down the throttle sticks on for a good 3-5 sec. also I almost made it home on my 50 mile trip and the engine started to make a ticking sound, about 3-4 ticks a second, its not a knock. Does anyone know what this tick could be. It stops when the truck is shut off but starts again when I start to move. Tick is more noticable in lower gears. :cry:

probably a lifter. They will make the ticking noise when you have low oil pressure I believe. Are you putting 15w40 in there? Thinner oil can make it tick. Also check oil level, you might need to add some.

you might just have to clean the linkage underneath the car to get 1st loosened up. Plus the fact that these cars are quite difficult to get into 1st downshifting (dont ram it in there, try double clutching, and going 2nd to 1st). I had my car sprayed with lube oil and I'm pretty impressed with the fact that my shifter linkage is really smooth... buttery-like

(before it was really gummy)

If I were you I would flush the coolant system, then drive it for a bit and see if the oil in coolant re-occurs. If it does, then you've got some head gasket problem. If it doesn't, you can sleep easier knowing that your motor is good and that your coolant isn't going to eat the seals in your motor.

if your motor is leaking from either the valve cover or pan gasket, then its a pretty easy fix. For the pan gasket, just buy a 1.9 windage tray (it has a really good gasket on it + will give a few extra hp because the oil won't be splashing around with the crankshaft.

bald_mcgrath · « **Reply #11 on:** July 27, 2006, 03:37:09 pm »

Everyone has been a ton of help so far

Getting back to the question about the smoke, what color would the smoke be if the engine has bad injectors as compared to rings? THe last 2 days I have had the oppurtunity to drive the caddy and have noticed a consistant light blue smoke especially at idle and going up hills. I am guessing this is bad, but how bad are we talking?

I know this is kind of a repeat question but he trucks throttle still sticks when the pedal is floored, It sticks for approximately 4-7 secs and then goes back down to idling speed. Is this signs of an injection pump or the rings? maybe both?

Just from driving it for the last few days, I beleive it leaks more oil than burns oil. I am going to put some fresh rotella T 15-40 in after i fix the oil leaking out of the pan gasket. The head and head gasket were also replaced about 30,000 miles ago, and that still looks good.